Democratic women lead biggest shift in Texas House since 2010 midterms

Led by female candidates, Texas Democrats picked up 12 Texas House seats from Republicans, mostly in North Texas. But Republicans still have the edge in the lower chamber.

Democrat Terry Meza, right, defeated state Rep. Rodney Anderson, R-Grand Prairie, in Tuesday's midterm election. Meza was one of several Democratic women who won House seats Tuesday.

Via The Texas Tribune

Posted
Tuesday, November 6, 2018 11:47 pm

By CASSANDRA POLLOCK, CARLOS ANCHONDO and ALLYSON R WALLER

In January, when the Texas Legislature convenes for the 86th legislative session, the Republicans’ 95-55 advantage over the Democrats will shrink to 83-67, which could boost the role Democrats will play in electing the next Texas House Speaker — who will only need support from 76 House members to succeed the retiring Joe Straus, a San Antonio Republican.

Democrats made most of their House gains in North Texas, where shifting demographics, along with Democratic enthusiasm for the top of their party’s ticket, placed GOP incumbents up and down the ballot on the defense. Democrats also flipped a number of GOP-held seats in Central Texas and in the Houston area.

Democratic women picked off five North Texas seats, highlighted by defeats of two high-profile GOP incumbents: Julie Johnson defeated Matt Rinaldi of Irving, a member of the hardline conservative Texas House Freedom Caucus, while Michelle Beckley beat Ron Simmons of Carrollton, who authored a version of the “bathroom bill” in 2017.

In a sixth Democratic pickup in North Texas, John Turner defeated Republican Lisa Luby Ryan for the seat currently held by outgoing state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas.

Two Dallas-area Republican incumbents won their re-election bids: State Reps. Angie Chen Button of Richardson and Morgan Meyer of Dallas. Republicans failed to knock off one of their main targets in North Texas as state Rep. Victoria Neave of Dallas won re-election.

And they won two more in the Houston area, where Gina Calanni ousted state Rep. Mike Schofield, R-Katy, with a razor-thin 49-vote margin, and Jon Rosenthal narrowly defeated Republican state Rep. Gary Elkins of Houston.

Another Houston-area Republican, state Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, held off her Democratic opponent, Allison Lami Sawyer. Davis, a centrist, pro-abortion rights Republican, survived a heavy-handed attempt by Gov. Greg Abbott to unseat her in the March primaries.

Despite the GOP’s losses on Tuesday, the 12-member, hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus could grow its membership by at least a few in 2019. At least three Republicans aligned with the more conservative faction of the party — Mayes Middleton, Jared Patterson and Steve Toth — won their races.